Position control mechanism for bicycle control device

ABSTRACT

A position control mechanism is provided for a bicycle control device that has a shifting unit. The position control mechanism has an operating member that is configured to operate a positioning member that moves through two of a plurality of predetermined shift positions during a single progressive movement of the operating member. The operating member is configured in the preferred embodiment to operate both a hydraulic braking unit and the shifting unit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention generally relates to a bicycle control device. Morespecifically, the present invention relates to a position controlmechanism for a bicycle control device such as a shifter.

2. Background Information

Bicycling is becoming an increasingly more popular form of recreation aswell as a means of transportation. Moreover, bicycling has become a verypopular competitive sport for both amateurs and professionals. Whetherthe bicycle is used for recreation, transportation or competition, thebicycle industry is constantly improving the various components of thebicycle. In particular, control devices for braking and/or shifting havebeen extensively redesigned in recent years.

Generally, when riding a bicycle, it is desirable to be able to operatethe brake control mechanism and the shift control mechanism of thebicycle quickly and easily while maintaining a firm grasp on thehandlebar. Some bicycles have brake levers that are separate from andthe shifting devices such as disclosed in U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication No. US2004/0005947 (assigned to Shimano, Inc.). However,other bicycle control devices have been developed the combine both thebraking and shifting functions into a single unit. Examples of suchcontrol devices of this type are disclosed in the following U.S. Pat.Nos. 4,241,878; 5,257,683; 5,400,675; and 6,073,730; and 6,212,078. Foreffecting braking and speed change, some of these known control deviceshave a brake lever that also acts as a shift lever that winds a wiretakeup element and a release lever located behind a brake/shift lever.While other known control devices have a shift lever that winds a wiretakeup element located behind a brake lever and a release lever that islocated laterally of the brake lever. Thus, the rider can carry outbraking and speed change operations without the rider changing from onelever to another. One example of a bicycle control device with a singlebrake/shift lever is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application PublicationNo. US2002/0139637 (assigned to Shimano, Inc.).

In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the artfrom this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved bicyclecontrol device. This invention addresses this need in the art as well asother needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art fromthis disclosure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One object of the present invention is to provide a bicycle controldevice with a position control mechanism and an operating lever that issimple to operate during braking and gear shifting operations.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a position controlmechanism of a bicycle control device with a positioning member thatmoves through two of a plurality of predetermined shift positions duringa single progressive movement of the release member.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a bicycle controldevice that is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture andassemble.

The foregoing objects can basically be attained by providing a positioncontrol mechanism for a bicycle control device that comprises apositioning member, a position maintaining member and a positionreleasing mechanism. The positioning member is configured and arrangedto be biased in a first rotational direction about a rotational axis.The position maintaining member is configured and arranged toselectively maintain the positioning member in one of a plurality ofpredetermined shift positions. The position releasing mechanism includesfirst and second driving members that are configured and arranged toselectively release the position maintaining member from engagement withthe positioning member. The positioning member is movable through atleast two of the plurality of predetermined shift positions in the firstrotational direction in response to a progressive movement of theposition releasing mechanism. The first driving member is locatedradially outward of the position maintaining member relative to therotational axis of the positioning unit.

The foregoing objects can basically be attained by providing a positioncontrol mechanism for a bicycle control device that comprises apositioning member, a position maintaining member and a positionreleasing mechanism. The positioning member is configured and arrangedto be biased in a first rotational direction about a rotational axis.The position maintaining member is configured and arranged toselectively maintain the positioning member in one of a plurality ofpredetermined shift positions. The position releasing mechanism isconfigured and arranged to selectively release the position maintainingmember from engagement with the positioning member. The positionreleasing mechanism includes a release member, a first driving memberand a second driving member. The first driving member is movably fixedto the release member to selectively release the position maintainingmember from engagement with the positioning member in response tomovement of the release member. The second driving member is non-movablyfixed to the release member to selectively release the positionmaintaining member from engagement with the positioning member inresponse further movement of the release member such that positioningmember moves through two of the plurality of predetermined shiftpositions during a single progressive movement of the release member.

The foregoing objects can alternatively be attained by providing abicycle control device that includes a wire take up member, apositioning member, a position maintaining member and a user operatingmechanism. The wire take up member is arranged to rotate about arotational axis to wind a shift cable wire of shift cable. Thepositioning member is coupled to the wire take up member and arranged tobe biased in a first rotational direction about the rotational axis. Theposition maintaining member is configured and arranged to selectivelymaintain the positioning member in one of a plurality of predeterminedshift positions. The user operating mechanism is configured and arrangedto perform a shifting operation by pulling and release the shift cablewire. The user operating mechanism includes a release member, a firstdriving member and a second driving member. The first and second drivingmembers are configured and arranged to selectively release the positionmaintaining member from engagement with the positioning member. Thepositioning member is movable through at least two of the plurality ofpredetermined shift positions in the first rotational direction inresponse to a progressive movement of the position releasing mechanism.The first driving member is located radially outward of the positionmaintaining member relative to the rotational axis of the positioningunit.

The foregoing objects can alternatively be attained by providing abicycle control device that includes a wire take up member, apositioning member, a position maintaining member and a user operatingmechanism. The wire take up member is arranged to rotate about arotational axis to wind a shift cable wire of shift cable. Thepositioning member is coupled to the wire take up member and arranged tobe biased in a first rotational direction about the rotational axis. Theposition maintaining member is configured and arranged to selectivelymaintain the positioning member in one of a plurality of predeterminedshift positions. The user operating mechanism is configured and arrangedto perform a shifting operation by pulling and release the shift cablewire. The user operating mechanism includes a release member, a firstdriving member and a second driving member. The first driving member ismovably fixed to the release member to selectively release the positionmaintaining member from engagement with the positioning member inresponse to movement of the release member. The second driving member isnon-movably fixed to the release member to selectively release theposition maintaining member from engagement with the positioning memberin response further movement of the release member such that positioningmember moves through two of the plurality of predetermined shiftpositions during a single progressive movement of the release member.

These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from thefollowing detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with theannexed drawings, discloses preferred embodiments of the presentinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the attached drawings which form a part of thisoriginal disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a bicycle equipped with a pair ofcontrol devices (only one shown) in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the bicycle control deviceillustrated in FIG. 1 in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the bicycle control device illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2 in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is an inner side elevational view of the bicycle control deviceillustrated in FIGS. 1-3 in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 is a front side elevational view of the bicycle control deviceillustrated in FIGS. 1-4 in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the bicycle control device illustratedin FIGS. 1-5 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the bicycle control deviceillustrated in FIGS. 1-6 in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 8 is a simplified front side elevational view of the bicyclecontrol device illustrated in FIGS. 1-6 with the selected parts removedto show the main operating lever, the secondary operating (release)lever and the shift position control mechanism in their normal restpositions with the inner wire of the rear shift cable fully withdrawnfrom the wire takeup member;

FIG. 9 is a simplified front side elevational view of the bicyclecontrol device, similar to FIG. 8, but with the main operating levermoved in a counterclockwise direction to engage the positioning ratchetwhich is still in the normal rest position;

FIG. 10 is a simplified front side elevational view of the bicyclecontrol device in which the main operating lever has been moved torotate the positioning ratchet in a counterclockwise direction from thenormal rest position of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a simplified front side elevational view of the bicyclecontrol device in which the main operating lever has been moved furtherfrom the position shown in FIG. 10 to rotate the positioning ratchet oneshift position from the normal rest position of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a simplified front side elevational view of the bicyclecontrol device in which the main operating lever has been released fromthe position shown in FIG. 11 to rotate in a clockwise back to itsnormal rest position;

FIG. 13 is a simplified front side elevational view of the bicyclecontrol device in which the main operating lever, the secondaryoperating (release) lever and the shift position control mechanism arein their normal rest positions when the inner wire of the rear shiftcable is fully retracted by the wire takeup member;

FIG. 14 is a simplified front side elevational view of the bicyclecontrol device, similar to FIG. 13, but with the main operating levermoved in a clockwise direction to move the release member such that theposition maintaining pawl is moved by the first pawl driving member toallow the positioning ratchet to move slightly in a clockwise directionfrom the position of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a simplified front side elevational view of the bicyclecontrol device, in which the main operating lever has been moved furtherfrom the position shown in FIG. 14 such that the first pawl drivingmember releases the position maintaining pawl and the positioningratchet moves further in a clockwise direction from the position of FIG.14;

FIG. 16 is a simplified front side elevational view of the bicyclecontrol device in which the main operating lever has been released fromthe position shown in FIG. 15 to rotate in a counterclockwise directionback to its normal rest position such that the positioning ratchet hasonly moved one shift position;

FIG. 17 is a simplified front side elevational view of the bicyclecontrol device, in which the main operating lever has still been movedfurther from the position shown in FIG. 15 such that such that thesecond pawl driving member rotates the position maintaining pawl in aclockwise direction to allow the positioning ratchet to move further ina clockwise direction from the position of FIG. 15;

FIG. 18 is a simplified front side elevational view of the bicyclecontrol device in which the main operating lever has been released fromthe position shown in FIG. 17 to rotate in a counterclockwise directionback to its normal rest position such that the positioning ratchet hasmoved two shift positions in a single progressive movement of the mainoperating lever;

FIG. 19 is a simplified front side elevational view of the bicyclecontrol device in which the main operating lever, the secondaryoperating (release) lever and the shift position control mechanism arein their normal rest positions when the inner wire of the rear shiftcable is fully retracted by the wire takeup member;

FIG. 20 is a simplified front side elevational view of the bicyclecontrol device, similar to FIG. 19, but with the secondary operating(release) lever moved in a clockwise direction to move the releasemember such that the position maintaining pawl is moved by the firstpawl driving member to allow the positioning ratchet to move slightly ina clockwise direction from the position of FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a simplified front side elevational view of the bicyclecontrol device, in which the secondary operating (release) lever hasbeen moved further from the position shown in FIG. 20 such that thefirst pawl driving member releases the position maintaining pawl and thepositioning ratchet moves further in a clockwise direction from theposition of FIG. 14;

FIG. 22 is a simplified front side elevational view of the bicyclecontrol device, in which the secondary operating (release) lever hasstill been moved further from the position shown in FIG. 21 such thatsuch that the second pawl driving member rotates the positionmaintaining pawl in a clockwise direction to allow the positioningratchet to move further in a clockwise direction from the position ofFIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is a simplified front side elevational view of the bicyclecontrol device in which the secondary operating (release) lever has beenreleased from the position shown in FIG. 22 to rotate in acounterclockwise direction back to its normal rest position such thatthe positioning ratchet has moved two shift positions in a singleprogressive movement of the main operating lever;

FIG. 24 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the bicycle controldevice as viewed along a plane bisecting the main operating lever andthe master cylinder;

FIG. 25 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the bicycle controldevice as viewed along a plane bisecting the master cylinder andperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the portion of the handlebarpassing through the handlebar mounting portion;

FIG. 26 is an enlarged axial elevational view of the nut for attachingthe main operating member to the main support of the bicycle controldevice;

FIG. 27 is an enlarged side elevational view of the nut illustrated inFIG. 26 for attaching the main operating member to the main support ofthe bicycle control device;

FIG. 28 is an enlarged axial elevational view of the cylindrical spacerfor allowing rotation of the main operating member on the main supportof the bicycle control device;

FIG. 29 is an enlarged side elevational view of the cylindrical spacerillustrated in FIG. 28 for allowing rotation of the main operatingmember on the main support of the bicycle control device;

FIG. 30 is an enlarged outer end axial elevational view of theattachment member of the main operating member for supporting theoperating member of the bicycle control device;

FIG. 31 is an enlarged side elevational view of the attachment member ofthe main operating member illustrated in FIG. 30 for supporting theoperating member of the bicycle control device;

FIG. 32 is an enlarged side elevational view of the attachment member ofthe main operating member illustrated in FIGS. 30 and 31 for supportingthe operating member of the bicycle control device;

FIG. 33 is an enlarged inner end axial elevational view of theattachment member of the main operating member illustrated in FIGS.30-32 for supporting the operating member of the bicycle control device;

FIG. 34 is a first enlarged axial elevational view of the winding pawlfor winding the positioning ratchet and the wire takeup member in a wirewinding rotational direction in response to a downward movement of theoperating lever the bicycle control device;

FIG. 35 is an enlarged side elevational view of the winding pawlillustrated in FIG. 34;

FIG. 36 is an enlarged side elevational view of the winding pawlillustrated in FIGS. 34 and 35;

FIG. 37 is a second enlarged axial end elevational view of the windingpawl illustrated in FIGS. 34-36;

FIG. 38 is an enlarged side elevational view of the winding pawl springfor apply an urging force to the winding pawl;

FIG. 39 is an enlarged axial end elevational view of the winding pawlspring illustrated in FIG. 38;

FIG. 40 is an enlarged side elevational view of the winding pawl pivotpin for pivotally supporting the winding pawl on the attachment memberof the main operating member;

FIG. 41 is an enlarged axial end elevational view of the winding pawlpivot pin illustrated in FIG. 40;

FIG. 42 is an enlarged axial elevational view of the spring supportwasher for the shift position releasing mechanism of the bicycle controldevice;

FIG. 43 is an enlarged side elevational view of the spring supportwasher illustrated in FIG. 42;

FIG. 44 is an enlarged side elevational view of the shift positionreleasing spring for apply an urging force to the release member and themain operating member;

FIG. 45 is an enlarged axial end elevational view of the shift positionreleasing spring illustrated in FIG. 44;

FIG. 46 is an enlarged axial elevational view of the spacer bushing forthe shift position releasing mechanism of the bicycle control device;

FIG. 47 is an enlarged side elevational view of the spacer bushingillustrated in FIG. 46;

FIG. 48 is an enlarged axial elevational view of the release member ofthe shift position releasing mechanism for the bicycle control device;

FIG. 49 is an enlarged side elevational view of the release memberillustrated in FIG. 46;

FIG. 50 is an enlarged side elevational view of the release memberillustrated in FIGS. 48 and 49;

FIG. 51 is a first enlarged axial elevational view of the first pawldriving member of the shift position releasing mechanism for the bicyclecontrol device;

FIG. 52 is a first enlarged side elevational view of the first pawldriving member illustrated in FIG. 51;

FIG. 53 is an enlarged side elevational view of the first pawl drivingmember illustrated in FIGS. 51 and 52;

FIG. 54 is a second enlarged axial end elevational view of the firstpawl driving member illustrated in FIGS. 51-53;

FIG. 55 is an enlarged axial elevational view of the pivot pin forpivotally supporting the first pawl driving member of the shift positionreleasing mechanism for the bicycle control device;

FIG. 56 is an enlarged side elevational view of the pivot pinillustrated in FIG. 55;

FIG. 57 is an enlarged axial elevational view of the mounting bracket ofthe shift position maintaining mechanism for the bicycle control device;

FIG. 58 is a first enlarged side elevational view of the mountingbracket illustrated in FIG. 57;

FIG. 59 is a second enlarged side elevational view of the mountingbracket illustrated in FIGS. 57 and 58;

FIG. 60 is an enlarged axial elevational view of the positionmaintaining pawl of the shift position releasing mechanism for thebicycle control device;

FIG. 61 is a first enlarged side elevational view of the positionmaintaining pawl illustrated in FIG. 60;

FIG. 62 is a second enlarged side elevational view of the positionmaintaining pawl illustrated in FIGS. 60 and 61;

FIG. 63 is an enlarged axial elevational view of the positioning pivotpin for pivotally supporting the positioning of the shift positionreleasing mechanism for the bicycle control device;

FIG. 64 is an enlarged side elevational view of the positioning pivotpin illustrated in FIG. 63;

FIG. 65 is a first enlarged axial end elevational view of the wiretakeup member and the positioning ratchet for the bicycle controldevice;

FIG. 66 is a second enlarged axial end elevational view of the wiretakeup member and the positioning ratchet illustrated in FIG. 65;

FIG. 67 is an enlarged side elevational view of the wire takeup memberand the positioning ratchet illustrated in FIGS. 65 and 66;

FIG. 68 is a cross sectional view of the wire takeup member and thepositioning ratchet as seen along section line 68-68 of FIG. 65;

FIG. 69 is an enlarged axial end elevational view of the positioningratchet for the bicycle control device; and

FIG. 70 is an enlarged side elevational view of the positioning ratchetillustrated in FIG. 69.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Selected embodiments of the present invention will now be explained withreference to the drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in theart from this disclosure that the following descriptions of theembodiments of the present invention are provided for illustration onlyand not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by theappended claims and their equivalents.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, a bicycle 10 is illustrated with abicycle control device 12 mounted on a bicycle handlebar 14 inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The bicyclecontrol device 12 is a right hand side control device 12 operated by therider's right hand. The bicycle control device 12 is preferablyoperatively coupled to a rear derailleur 16 via a shift control cable 18and to a front hydraulic brake device 28 via a hydraulic brake hose 30.This bicycle control device 12 is preferably a combined shift and brakecontrol device that is configured and arranged to perform both ashifting operation and braking operation with a single lever asexplained below. Alternatively, the bicycle control device 12 can beconnected a rear hydraulic brake device 20 via a hydraulic brake hose22, if needed and/or desired.

Preferably, the bicycle 10 includes a left hand side bicycle controldevice (not shown) that is substantially identical to the bicyclecontrol device 12, except for the shifting unit has been modified toreduce the number of gears that can be shifted. Preferably, the lefthand side bicycle control device is operatively coupled to a frontderailleur 24 via a shift control cable 26 and the rear brake device 20via the brake hose 22. Alternatively, if the hydraulic brake hose 22connects the bicycle control device 12 to the hydraulic rear brakedevice 20 in an alternate embodiment, then the left hand side bicyclecontrol device would be operatively coupled to the front brake device 28via the hydraulic brake hose 30. In any event, the left hand sidebicycle control device is essentially identical in construction andoperation to the control device 12, except that it is a mirror image ofthe control device 12 and the number of shift positions for the lefthand side bicycle control device is different. Thus, only the controldevice 12 will be discussed and illustrated herein.

Since most of the parts of the bicycle 10 are well known in the art, theparts of the bicycle 10 will not be discussed or illustrated in detailherein, except for the parts that relate to the present invention. Inother words, only the parts related to the bicycle control device 12will be discussed and illustrated in detail herein. Moreover, variousconventional bicycle parts such as brakes, additional sprockets,derailleurs, etc., which are not illustrated and/or discussed in detailherein, can be used in conjunction with the present invention.

As used herein to describe the bicycle control device 12, the followingdirectional terms “forward, rearward, above, downward, vertical,horizontal, below and transverse” as well as any other similardirectional terms refer to those directions of a bicycle equipped withthe present invention. Accordingly, these terms, as utilized to describethe present invention should be interpreted relative to a bicycleequipped with the bicycle control device 12 of the present invention.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the bicycle control device 12 basicallyincludes a bicycle handlebar mounting portion or clamp 31, a brakingunit 32 and a shifting unit 33. In this embodiment, the braking unit 32and a shifting unit 33 are integrated into the mounting portion or clamp31. The mounting portion or clamp 31 is preferably a split bore type ofclamping arrangement in which the diameter of the bore is varied by afixing bolt in a conventional manner. The mounting portion 31 isrelatively conventional in construction thus will not be discussed orillustrated in further detail herein. Preferably, the mounting portion31 is constructed of a hard light weight rigid material such as a lightweight metal.

As best seen in FIGS. 24 and 25, the braking unit 32 basically includesa piston 34, a master cylinder 35 and a hydraulic reservoir 36. Thebraking unit 32 is selectively operated by a main operating member 37.This main operating member 37 also selectively operates the shiftingunit 33. Thus, the braking unit 32 is a dual function operating memberthat functions as both a brake operating member and a main shiftoperating member. The main operating member 37 is configured andarranged to perform a braking operation when moved towards the handlebar14 along a braking path or plane, and configured and arranged to performa shifting operation when moved along a shifting path or plane that isperpendicularly arranged relative to the braking path or plane.

The reservoir 36 contains hydraulic fluid (mineral oil) which ispressurized by movement of the piston 34 in the master cylinder 35 inresponse to the pivotal movement of the main operating lever 41 towardsthe handlebar 14 along a braking path or plane. The pressurizedhydraulic fluid then operates the hydraulic front brake device 28 in aconventional manner. Preferably, the hydraulic front brake device 28 isa conventional hydraulic disc brake. The parts of the front brake device28 are relatively conventional, thus these parts and their operationswill not be discussed or illustrated in detail herein. Likewise,preferably, the hydraulic rear brake device 20 is a conventionalhydraulic disc brake, which will not be discussed or illustrated indetail herein. Alternatively, cable operated brake devices can be usedto carry out certain aspects of the present invention by changing thebraking unit 32 to a cable operated structure.

Preferably, the master cylinder 35 and the reservoir 36 are integrallyformed with the mounting portion 31 as a one piece, unitary main support38 as illustrated herein. The master cylinder 35 and the reservoir 36are in fluid communication with each other for supplying pressurizedfluid to the front brake device 28 to perform a braking operation in aconventional manner in response to operation of the main operatingmember 37.

The main operating member 37 is attached to the master cylinder 35 torotate about the center cylinder axis of the master cylinder 35 when ashifting operation is being performed. Preferably, the main operatingmember 37 includes the main operating lever 41 and an attachment memberor ring 42. The main operating lever 41 is pivotally mounted to theattachment member 42 by a pivot pin 43 such that the main operatinglever 41 move along a braking path that is defined by a braking planeextending in a direction perpendicular to the pivot axis of the pivotpin 43. The pivot pin 43 is arranged such that the pivot axis of thepivot pin 43 extends in a direction perpendicular to the center cylinderaxis of the master cylinder 35. The attachment member or ring 42 ismounted on the exterior surface of the master cylinder 35. Theattachment member or ring 42 is configured to rotate about the centercylinder axis of the master cylinder 35 along a shifting path that isdefined by a shifting plane extending in a direction perpendicular tothe braking plane of the braking path. Thus, the main operating lever 41is used as both a braking lever and a shifting lever.

Referring now to FIGS. 24-33, the main operating member 37 and isattachment to the main support 38 will now be discussed. As seen inFIGS. 24 and 25, the main operating member 37 is mounted in a rotatablemanner to the master cylinder 35. As best seen in FIGS. 30-33, theattachment member 42 has a rotating ring section 42 a, a lever mountingsection 42 b and a pawl mounting flange 42 c. Basically, the rotatingring section 42 a is mounted around the master cylinder 35 and securedthereto by a hat shaped nut 42 d (FIGS. 24-27). Preferably, as seen inFIGS. 24, 25 and 28 and 29, a hat shaped spacing washer 42 e is disposedbetween the nut 42 d and the rotating ring section 42 a of theattachment member 42 so that the attachment member 42 can be rotatedaround the center cylinder axis of the master cylinder 35 by applying agenerally upward force or a generally downward force to the free end ofthe main operating lever 41.

The main operating member 37 further includes a connecting rod 46 thatis connected between intermediate portion of the main operating lever 41and the piston 34. Thus, when the main operating lever 41 is moved alongthe braking path or plane that is arranged perpendicular to the pivotaxis of the pivot pin 43, the piston 34 is moved within the mastercylinder 35 to perform a braking operation.

In particular, as best seen in FIGS. 24 and 25, the piston 34 isslidably located in the master cylinder 35 to actuate the front brakingdevice 28. Preferably, the piston 34 is biased outwardly by acompression spring 48 that is disposed within the master cylinder 35 andthat contacts the inner end of the piston 34. Thus, the main operatinglever 41 is normally biased to a non-braking position by the compressionspring 48 that acts on the piston 34, which in turn act on theconnecting rod 46 that is connected to the main operating lever 41. Thepiston 34 preferably includes a pair of annular sealing rings 50 suchthat the hydraulic fluid (mineral oil) is retained within the mastercylinder 35 and the reservoir 36. The operation of the master cylinder35 and the piston 34 are relatively conventional, thus these parts andoperations will not be discussed or illustrated in detail herein.

As best seen in FIGS. 2-7, 24 and 25, the shifting unit 33 is basicallymounted around the center cylinder axis of the master cylinder 35 toprovide a compact structure. Moreover, with this arrangement, the mainoperating lever 41 also acts as a shift lever of the shifting unit 33 asexplained below. Thus, the shifting unit 33 basically includes the mainoperating member 37, discussed above, as well as a wire takeup member52, a wire takeup biasing member or spring 54, a shift wire positioncontrol mechanism 56 and a secondary operating member or lever 58. Thisarrangement of the shifting unit 33 allows the rider to shift the reargears up or down regardless of the rider's hand position on thehandlebar 14.

As seen in FIGS. 8-13, the main operating lever 41 of the main operatingmember 37 is pushed generally in a downward direction to perform anupshifting operation. When the rider pushes the main operating lever 41generally in a downward direction, the inner wire 18 a is pulled to windthe inner wire 18 a on the outer peripheral edge of the wire takeupmember 52. This inner wire pulling movement of the inner wire 18 aoperates the rear derailleur 16 to move the chain outwardly relativelyto the center plane of the bicycle 10, such that the chain moves from aninner gear or sprocket to an outer gear or sprocket.

On the other hand, as seen in FIGS. 14-18, when the main operating lever41 of the main operating member 37 is moved in a generally upwarddirection, a downshifting operation is performed. When the rider pushesthe main operating lever 41 generally in an upward direction, the innerwire 18 a is released to unwind the inner wire 18 a from the outerperipheral edge of the wire takeup member 52. This inner wire releasingmovement of the inner wire 18 a operates the rear derailleur 16 to movethe chain inwardly relatively to the center plane of the bicycle 10,such that the chain moves from an outer gear or sprocket to an innergear or a sprocket.

As seen in FIGS. 19-23, the secondary operating member 58 is a releaselever that operates in the same manner as the main operating lever 41when the main operating lever 41 is pushed upwardly to perform adownshifting operation. Thus, when the rider pushes the secondaryoperating member 58 generally in an upward direction, the inner wire 18a is released to unwind the inner wire 18 a from the outer peripheraledge of the wire takeup member 52. This inner wire releasing movement ofthe inner wire 18 a operates the rear derailleur 16 to move the chaininwardly relatively to the center plane of the bicycle 10, such that thechain moves from an outer gear or sprocket to an inner gear or asprocket.

As best seen in FIGS. 7, 24 and 25, the wire takeup member 52 isbasically a ring shaped member that is rotatably mounted around themaster cylinder 35 such that the wire takeup member 52 has its centerpivot axis coinciding with the center cylinder axis of the mastercylinder 35. The wire takeup member 52 is a one piece unitary membermade from a hard, rigid plastic material.

As best seen in FIGS. 65-68, the wire takeup member 52 has a pluralityof projections 52 a that surround a center opening 52 b and a cableattachment point 52 c located on its peripheral surface. The inner wire18 a of the rear shift cable 18 is attached at one to the cableattachment point 52 c and at the other end to the rear derailleur 16.Thus, the inner wire 18 a is wound around the periphery of the wiretakeup member 52 when the inner wire 18 a is being pulled, as seen inFIGS. 8-13, to operate the rear derailleur 16.

As best seen in FIG. 7, the wire takeup biasing member 54 is a coiledtorsion spring that has one end 54 a located in a hole of the wiretakeup member 52 and a second end 54 b located in a hole formed in themain support 38 that forms the housing of the reservoir 36. Thus, thewire takeup member 52 is biased in a first rotational direction aboutthe rotational shift axis that is coincident with the center cylinderaxis of the master cylinder 35. As viewed in FIGS. 8-23, the wire takeupbiasing member 54 urges the wire takeup member 52 in a clockwisedirection about rotational shift axis. When the bicycle control device12 is in the normal rest position, the wire takeup member 52 ispreloaded to maintain the shift position.

Still referring to FIGS. 7, 24 and 25, the shift position controlmechanism 56 is mounted around the master cylinder 35 for controllingthe position of the wire takeup member 52 and thus, controlling theshift position of the rear derailleur 16. Preferably, the shift positioncontrol mechanism 56 includes a shift positioning member or ratchet 60,a shift position maintaining mechanism 62, a shift position releasingmechanism 64, and a shift position winding mechanism 66.

The positioning ratchet 60 is basically configured and arranged toinclude a plurality of predetermined shift positions. The positioningratchet 60 is designed to move the wire takeup member 52 around therotational shift axis of the of the bicycle control device 12. When thepositioning ratchet 60 is moved in a first rotational direction aroundthe rotational shift axis, the wire takeup member 52 releases the innerwire 18 a. During an inner wire release operation, the wire takeupmember 52 and the positioning ratchet 60 are rotated in the firstrotational direction by the urging force of the wire takeup biasingmember 54. On the other hand, when the shift positioning ratchet 60 ismoved in a second rotational direction around the rotational shift axis,opposite rotational direction, the wire takeup member 52 is movedagainst the urging force of the wire takeup biasing member 54 to pullthe inner wire 18 a. This wire pulling operation is accomplished bymoving the main operating lever 41 in a downward direction to actuatethe shift position winding mechanism 66.

Preferably, the positioning ratchet 60 is in the form of a positioningplate. The positioning ratchet 60 is preferably constructed of a hardrigid material such as a metal material or other suitable material. Thepositioning ratchet 60 is fixedly mounted to the wire takeup member 52so that the wire takeup member 52 and the positioning ratchet 60 rotatetogether as best seen in FIGS. 7 and 65-68. In particular, thepositioning ratchet 60 is preferably a ring shaped member having aninner peripheral opening 60 a with notches that engage the projections52 a on the wire takeup member 52 to non-rotatably fix the positioningratchet 60 on the wire takeup member 52 as seen in FIGS. 65-68.

The outer peripheral edge of the positioning ratchet 60 preferablyinclude a set of shift positioning teeth 60 b and a set of shift drivingteeth 60 c. The shift positioning teeth 60 b are configured and arrangedto engage the shift position maintaining mechanism 62, as discussedbelow, while the shift driving teeth 60 c are configured and arranged toengage the shift position winding mechanism 66 as discussed below.Accordingly, movement of the main operating lever 41 along the shiftingpath causes the positioning ratchet 60 to rotate via either the positionreleasing mechanism 64 or the shift position winding mechanism 66 actingon the shift position maintaining mechanism 62 as discussed below.

Preferably, the shift position maintaining mechanism 62 basicallyincludes a mounting bracket 72, a mounting bolt 74, a positionmaintaining pawl 76, and a positioning pawl mounting pin 78, apositioning pawl biasing member 80 and a retaining clip 82. The shiftposition maintaining mechanism 62 is configured and arrange to engagethe shift positioning teeth 60 b of the of the positioning ratchet 60for maintaining the wire takeup member 52 in one of a plurality ofpredetermined shift positions. In particular, the position maintainingpawl 76 is selectively disengaged from the positioning ratchet 60 toallow the wire takeup member 52 to move between individual shiftpositions by operation of either the position releasing mechanism 64 orthe shift position winding mechanism 66 as explained below.

The mounting bracket 72 is fixedly attached to the main support 38 ofthe bicycle control device 12 by the mounting bolt 74. Preferably, themounting bracket 72 is a flat metal plate that is stamped from flatpiece of sheet metal. The mounting bracket 72 not only secures variousparts of the shift position maintaining mechanism 62 to the main support38, but also has additional controlling functions as explained below.

Basically, as seen in FIGS. 57-59, the mounting bracket 72 has anattachment portion 72 a, a ring portion 72 b and a pawl mounting tab 72c that are all formed as a one-piece, unitary member. The attachmentportion 72 a has a hole for receiving the mounting bolt 74 to attach themounting bracket 72 to the main support 38 of the bicycle control device12 as seen in FIGS. 2-7. The ring portion 72 b is formed on the innerend of the attachment portion 72 a and has a central opening forreceiving the master cylinder 35 therethrough. The outer peripheral edgeof the ring portion 72 b has the pawl mounting tab 72 c extendingradially outwardly therefrom such that the attachment portion 72 a andthe pawl mounting tab 72 c are perpendicularly arranged. The peripheraledge of the ring portion 72 b also includes a notch 72 d that isconfigured and arranged for exposing the shift driving teeth 60 c of thepositioning ratchet 60 to the shift position winding mechanism 66 asdiscussed below. Moreover, the peripheral edge of the ring portion 72 bthat is adjacent to the notch 72 d acts as a winding pawl holding memberthat maintains the shift position winding mechanisms 66 out ofengagement from the shift driving teeth 60 c of the positioning ratchet60 when the main operating lever 41 in its rest position as seen in FIG.8.

The position maintaining pawl 76 is pivotally mounted between the mainsupport 38 and the pawl mounting tab 72 c via the pawl mounting pin 78and the clip 82. In other words, the position maintaining pawl 76 ispivotally mounted about the longitudinal axis of the mounting pin 78 forselectively engaging the shift positioning teeth 60 b of the positioningratchet 60. The pawl mounting tab 72 c has a bent end portion or stop 72e that limits rotational movement of the position maintaining pawl 76about the pivot axis of the pawl mounting pin 78.

As best seen in FIGS. 60-62, the position maintaining pawl 76 has amounting hole 76 a, an operating flange 76 b, a first positionmaintaining tooth 76 c, a second position maintaining tooth 76 d, afirst stop surface 76 e and a second stop surface 76 f. The mountinghole 76 a is configured and arranged to receive a portion of a pawlmounting pin 78 such that the position maintaining pawl 76 can pivotaround the axis of the pawl mounting pin 78. The movement of theposition maintaining pawl 76 is basically controlled by the operatingflange 76 b that is selectively engaged by the shift position releasingmechanism 64 as discussed below.

The first and second shift position maintaining teeth 76 c and 76 d areconfigured and arranged to selectively engage and selectively disengagethe shift positioning teeth 60 b of the positioning ratchet 60 tocontrol the rotational movement of the wire takeup member 52. Asexplained below, the position maintaining teeth 76 c and 76 d areconfigured such that the inner wire 18 a is wound by the main operatinglever 41 by one or multiple shift positions at a time when the mainoperating lever 41 is moved in a generally downward direction along theshifting path. The shift positioning maintaining teeth 76 c and 76 d arefurther configured and arranged to provide either a single or a doubleshift when the inner wire 18 a is being released by a generally upwardmovement of either the main operating lever 41 or the secondaryoperating lever 58 along the shifting path.

The stops 76 e and 76 f of the position maintaining pawl 76 areconfigured and arranged to engage the stop 72 e of the mounting bracket72. Thus, the range of pivotal movement of the position maintaining pawl76 is limited through a predetermined rotational arc. More particularly,the stops 76 e and 76 f are configured and arranged such that theposition maintaining pawl 76 can rock back and forth so that the shiftpositioning maintaining teeth 76 c and 76 d are alternately engaged withthe positioning teeth 60 b of the positioning ratchet 60 to control therotational movement of the wire takeup member 52.

As best seen in FIGS. 7, 63 and 64, the mounting pin 78 is a step shapedpin that has a first end 78 a that is received in a mounting hole of themain support 38 and a second end 78 b that is received through the hole76 a of the position maintaining pawl 76 and the hole formed in the stop72 e of the mounting bracket 72. The mounting pin 78 further includes anannular groove 78 c for receiving the clip 82 therein. An annular flange78 d is provided in a middle portion of the pin for limiting the axialmovement the positioning pawl biasing member 80 that is mounted on themounting pin 78.

The positioning pawl biasing member 80 is preferably a torsion springthat has a first end engaging the main support 38 and a second endengaging the position maintaining pawl 76 such that the positionmaintaining pawl 76 is normally biased in a direction such that thefirst position maintaining tooth 76 c is engaged with one of the shiftpositioning teeth 60 b.

Preferably, as best seen in FIG. 7, the shift position releasingmechanism 64 basically includes an inner wire release member 84 with adriving arrangement 86, and a biasing arrangement 88 that acts on therelease member 84. The shift position releasing mechanism 64 isconfigured and arranged such that rotational movement of the releasemember 84 moves the position maintaining pawl 76 into and out ofengagement with the shift positioning teeth 60 b of the positioningratchet 60. This movement of the position maintaining pawl 76 by therelease member 84 causes the inner wire 18 a of the rear shift cable 18to be released by one or two shift positions utilizing a singleprogressive movement of the release member 84.

The release member 84 is mounted about the master cylinder 35 to rotatearound the center cylinder axis of the master cylinder 35 in response toupward movement of either the main operating lever 41 or the secondaryoperating (releasing) lever 58. Of course, it will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art from this disclosure that the secondary operatinglever 58 can be removed if needed or desired. Preferably, the releasemember 84 is constructed of a hard rigid material that is configured tothe shape as shown in the preferred embodiment. For example, the releasemember 84 can be constructed by stamping a single sheet of metalmaterial.

As seen in FIGS. 48-50, the release member 84 preferably includes a ringmounting portion 84 a, a secondary release lever attachment flange 84 b,a first stop flange 84 c, a second stop flange 84 d, a third stop flange84 e and a pawl driving support portion 84 f. The ring mounting portion84 a has a center opening that is mounted on the master cylinder 35. Thesecondary release lever attachment flange 84 b extends outwardly in agenerally radial direction from the ring mounting portion 84 a. Thesecondary operating lever 58 is fixedly coupled to the secondary releaselever attachment flange 84 b such that the release member 84 can berotated by upward movement of the secondary operating lever 58.

The stop flanges 84 c and 84 d are bent downwardly from the ringmounting portion 84 a in a first axial direction, and are configured andarranged to limit the rotational movement of the release member 84. Morespecifically, the stop flanges 84 c and 84 d are configured and arrangedto abut opposite sides of the attachment portion 72 a of the mountingbracket 72 such that the range of the rotational movement of the releasemember 84 is limited.

The stop flange 84 e of the release member 84 is bent to extend in theopposite axial direction form the stop flanges 84 c and 84 d. The stopflange 84 e is configured and arranged to contact the mounting section42 b of the attachment member 42. More specifically, when the releasemember 84 is in its rest position, the first stop flange 84 c contactsthe attachment portion 72 a of the mounting bracket 72 and the stopflange 84 e contacts the mounting section 42 b so that the mainoperating lever 41 is maintained in a rest position.

The pawl driving support portion 84 f supports part of the pawl drivingarrangement 86. In particular, the pawl driving arrangement 86 has afirst pawl driving member 91 (FIGS. 51-54) pivotally mounted to the pawldriving support portion 84 f and a second pawl driving member 92 (FIGS.48-50) that is integrally formed as part of the pawl driving supportportion 84 f. The first and second pawl driving members 91 and 92 areconfigured and arranged to move the position maintaining pawl 76 intoand out of engagement with the shift positioning teeth 60 b of thepositioning ratchet 60. More specifically, the first pawl driving member91 is configured and arranged such that when either one of the operatinglevers 41 and 58 are moved about half way through its full range ofpivotal movement, then the position maintaining pawl 76 is rotatedagainst the urging force of the positioning pawl biasing member 80 suchthat the positioning ratchet 60 rotates in a wire releasing direction toallow a single shift to occur. When one of the operating levers 41 and58 are fully rotated through their full range of pivotal movement, thenthe first and second pawl driving members 91 and 92 sequentially contactand move the position maintaining pawl 76 such that the positioningratchet 60 can rotate in a wire releasing direction to allow two shiftsto occur in a single progressive movement of one of the operating levers41 and 58.

In the preferred embodiment, the first pawl driving member 91 is mountedto the pawl driving support portion 84 f of the release member 84 by apivot pin 93 (FIGS. 7, 55 and 56) and a retaining clip 94 (FIG. 7). Areturn spring or biasing member 95, as seen in FIG. 7, is mounted on thepivot pin 93 to maintain the first pawl driving member 91 in apredetermined orientation to contact the position maintaining pawl 76when the release member 84 is rotated. One end of the biasing member 95engages in the first pawl driving member 91, while the second end of thebiasing member 95 engages the pawl driving support portion 84 f so thatthe first pawl driving member 91 is held in a predetermined orientation.

More specifically, the first pawl driving member 91 has a stop 91 a thatcontacts the pawl driving support portion 84 f to maintain the firstpawl driving member 91 in the predetermined orientation by an urgingforce of the biasing member 95. The first pawl driving member 91 furtherincludes a projection 91 b that extends in a substantially radialdirection towards the center cylinder axis of the master cylinder 35when the release member 84 is in the rest position. The first pawldriving member 91 is positioned radially outwardly of the positionmaintaining pawl 76 relative to the rotational axis of the shifting unit33. However, the projection 91 b of the first pawl driving member 91extends radially inwardly towards the center cylinder axis such thatwhen the release member 84 is rotated around the master cylinder 35,then the projection 91 b of the first pawl driving member 91 contactsthe operating flange 76 b of the position maintaining pawl 76 as bestseen in FIGS. 13, 14 and 16. More specifically, when the release member84 is rotated in a wire releasing rotational direction, then theprojection 91 b of the first pawl driving member 91 contacts theoperating flange 76 b of the position maintaining pawl 76 to rotate theposition maintaining pawl 76 against the urging force of the positioningpawl biasing member 80 as best seen in FIGS. 14 and 16. The first pawldriving member 91 is prevented from rotating about the pivot pin 93 whenthe release member 84 is moved in the wire releasing direction becausethe stop 91 a contacts the pawl driving support portion 84 f. However,when the release member 84 returns to its original rest position due tothe biasing arrangement 88 or the release member 84 is moved past theposition maintaining pawl 76, then the first pawl driving member 91 canrotate around the pivot pin 93 against the urging force of the spring 95as best seen in FIG. 15 or 21.

The second pawl driving member 92 also extends generally in a radialdirection from the outer end of the pawl driving support portion 84 f.The second pawl driving member 92 is positioned radially outwardly ofthe position maintaining pawl 76. More specifically, the second pawldriving member 82 is positioned such that movement of the release member84 in the wire releasing direction causes the second pawl driving member92 to contact the operating flange 76 b of the position maintaining pawl76 to rotate the position maintaining pawl 76 against the urging forceof the positioning pawl biasing member 80. Thus, the second pawl drivingmember 92 is configured and arranged to movement the positionmaintaining pawl 76 out of engagement with the shift positioning teeth60 b when the release member 84 is fully rotated as best seen in FIGS.15 and 17 or FIGS. 21 and 22.

The biasing arrangement 88 is configured and arranged to apply arotational urging force to both the attachment member 42 of the mainoperating member 44 and the release member 84 of the shift positionedreleasing mechanism 64. Preferably, as seen in FIG. 7, the biasingarrangement 88 includes a biasing member 100 (FIGS. 7, 44 and 45), aspacer bushing 102 (FIGS. 7, 46 and 47) and a washer 104 (FIGS. 7, 42and 43). The biasing member 100 is preferably a torsion spring that hasa first end 100 a that is secured to the ring mounting portion 84 a ofthe release member 84 and a second end 100 b that engages in the washer104. Accordingly, the release member 84 and the washer 104 are biasedand opposite rotational directions around the main rotational axis ofthe shifting unit 33. The spacer bushing 102 is received in the centeropening of the ring mounting portion 84 a of the release member 84. Thespacer bushing 102 is configured with an annular flange 102 a thatmaintains a proper spacing between the ring mounting portion 84 a of therelease member 84 and the washer 104 so that proper clearance ismaintained for the biasing member 100. Accordingly, the washer 104 sitson the annular flange 102 a.

The washer 104 has an L-shaped flange 104 a extending radially outwardlyfrom its peripheral edge. The L-shaped flange 104 a is configured andarranged to act as a stop that engages the mounting bracket 72 as wellas acts as an urging portion that contacts the attachment member 42 ofthe main operating member 37. More specifically, the second end 100 b ofthe biasing member 100 engages the flange 104a to apply an urging forceon the washer 104 such that the attachment member 42 of the mainoperating member 37 is retained between the stop flange 84 e of therelease member 84 and the flange 104 a of the washer 104.

As seen in FIG. 7, preferably, the shift position winding mechanism 66includes a winding pawl 110 that is mounted to the attachment member 42of the main operating member 44 by a mounting pin 112 (FIGS. 40 and 41)and a retaining clip 114. Preferably, a torsion spring 116 is mounted onthe shaft of the mounting pin 112 to urge the winding pawl 110 in adirection to engage the shift driving teeth 60 c of the position ratchet60.

Referring to FIG. 8, a simplified front side elevational view of thebicycle control device 12 is illustrated with the selected parts removedto show the main operating lever 41, the secondary operating (release)lever 58 and the shift position control mechanism 56 in their normalrest positions and with the inner wire 18 a of the rear shift cable 18fully withdrawn from the wire takeup member 52. When the shifting unit33 is in the rest position as seen in FIG. 8, a winding pawl tooth 110 aof the winding pawl 110 is prevented from engaging the shift drivingteeth 60 c because it contacts the peripheral edge of the mountingbracket 72 adjacent the notch 72 d.

Referring to FIG. 9, a simplified front side elevational view of thebicycle control device 12 is illustrated, similar to FIG. 8, but withthe main operating lever 41 moved in a counterclockwise (generallydownward) direction such that the shift position winding mechanism 66engages the positioning ratchet 60 of the shift position controlmechanism 56 which is still in the normal rest position. In other words,when the main operating lever 41 is moved in a downward direction, thiscauses the attachment member 42 to rotate about the main shifting axissuch that the winding pawl 110 moves therewith. This movement of theattachment member 42 causes the winding pawl tooth 110 a of the windingpawl 110 to slide along the peripheral edge of the ring portion 72 b ofthe mounting bracket 72 so as to come into alignment with the notch 72d. Once the winding pawl 110 has moved into alignment with the notch 72d, the spring 116 biases the winding pawl 110 inwardly such that thewinding pawl tooth 110 a contacts one of the shift driving teeth 60 c asseen in FIG. 9. Then further movement of the main operating lever 41causes the attachment member 42 and the winding pawl 110 to rotatefurther about the main shifting axis, which in turn causes thepositioning ratchet 60 and the wire takeup member 52 to rotatetherewith, since the wing pawl tooth 110 a is engagement with one of theshift driving teeth 60 c. While only one shift position is illustratedas occurring in FIGS. 8-12, it will be apparent that the configurationillustrated herein allows for two shifts with a single progressivemovement of the main operating lever 41. Moreover, it will be apparentto those skilled in the art that multiple shifts can occur in a singleprogressive movement of the main operating lever 41 by lengthening thecircumferential length of the notch 72 d to allow for morecounterclockwise movement of the positioning ratchet 60 in FIGS. 8-12.

In particular, referring to FIG. 10, a simplified front side elevationalview of the bicycle control device 12 is illustrated, similar to FIGS. 8and 9, in which the main operating lever 41 has been moved to rotate thepositioning ratchet 60 in a counterclockwise direction such that theposition maintaining pawl 76 is rotated to allow the positioning ratchet60 to rotate. As seen in FIG. 11, when the main operating lever 41 hasbeen moved further from the position shown in FIG. 10, the positioningratchet 60 is rotated one shift position from its prior shift positionof FIG. 9 such that the first position maintaining tooth 76 c moves oneshift position to engage the adjacent one of the shift positioning teeth60 c as seen in FIG. 12. In particular, FIG. 12 is a simplified frontside elevational view of the bicycle control device 12, similar to FIGS.8 and 9, in which the main operating lever 41 has been released from theposition shown in FIG. 11 to rotate in a clockwise back to its normalrest position under the urging force of the biasing member 100, whichpushes the washer 104 against the attachment member 42 of the mainoperating member 37.

Now, referring back to FIGS. 13-16, the releasing operation performed bymoving the main operating lever 41 in a clockwise (generally upward)direction will now be briefly discussed. This clockwise (generallyupward) movement of the main operating lever 41 causes the release plateor member 84 to be rotated. In particular, the lever mounting section 42b of the attachment member 42 contacts the third stop flange 84 e suchthat clockwise (generally upward) movement of the main operating lever41 causes the release plate or member 84 to be rotated against theurging force of the biasing member 100.

Referring first to FIG. 13, a simplified front side elevational view ofthe bicycle control device 12 is illustrated in which the main operatinglever 41, the secondary operating (release) lever 58 and the shiftposition control mechanism 56 are in their normal rest positions withthe inner wire 18 a of the rear shift cable 18 and the wire takeupmember 52 being in their fully retracted positions. Here, the firstposition maintaining tooth 76 c of the position maintaining pawl 76 isengaged with one of the shift positioning teeth 60 c of the positioningratchet 60.

Then referring to FIG. 14, the main operating lever 41 has been moved ina clockwise direction to move the release member 84 such that theposition maintaining pawl 76 is moved by the first pawl driving member91 to allow the positioning ratchet 60 to move slightly in a clockwisedirection from the position of FIG. 13. Movement of the positioningratchet 60 is restricted because the first pawl driving member 91 hasrotated the position maintaining pawl 76 such that the second positionmaintaining tooth 76 d catches one of the shift positioning teeth 60 cof the positioning ratchet 60.

Next, as seen in FIG. 15, when the main operating lever 41 has beenmoved further from the position shown in FIG. 14, the first pawl drivingmember 91 releases the position maintaining pawl 76 such that the firstposition maintaining tooth 76 c catches one of the shift positioningteeth 60 c of the positioning ratchet 60 due to the urging force of thepositioning pawl biasing member 80 (shown in FIG. 7). In other words,when the first pawl driving member 91 releases the position maintainingpawl 76 and the positioning ratchet 60 moves further in a clockwisedirection from the position of FIG. 14 until the first positionmaintaining tooth 76 c catches one of the shift positioning teeth 60 cof the positioning ratchet 60. The positioning ratchet 60 is biased in aclockwise direction due to the urging force of the wire takeup biasingmember 54 (shown in FIG. 7).

FIG. 16 is a simplified front side elevational view of the bicyclecontrol device 12 in which the main operating lever 41 has been releasedfrom the position shown in FIG. 15 to rotate in a counterclockwisedirection back to its normal rest position such that the positioningratchet 60 has only moved one shift position. However, if the mainoperating lever 41 is not released from the position shown in FIG. 15and is pushed further in a clockwise (generally upward) direction, thenthe bicycle control device 12 will perform two shifts in a singleprogressive movement of the release member 84 as seen by the movementsshown in FIGS. 17 and 18.

In particular, referring to FIG. 17, a simplified front side elevationalview of the bicycle control device 12 is illustrated in which the mainoperating lever 41 has been moved further from the position shown inFIG. 15 such that the second pawl driving member 92 rotates the positionmaintaining pawl 76 in a clockwise direction to allow the positioningratchet 60 to move further in the clockwise direction from the positionof FIG. 15 due to the urging force of the wire takeup biasing member 54(shown in FIG. 7). Movement of the positioning ratchet 60 in theclockwise direction is restricted because the second pawl driving member92 has rotated the position maintaining pawl 76 such that the secondposition maintaining tooth 76 d catches one of the shift positioningteeth 60 c of the positioning ratchet 60.

When the main operating lever 41 is released from the position shown inFIG. 17, the main operating lever 41 and the release plate or member 84rotate together in the counterclockwise direction due to the urgingforce of the biasing member 100 (shown in FIG. 7). Thus, as seen in FIG.18, the second pawl driving member 92 releases the position maintainingpawl 76 and the positioning ratchet 60 moves further in a clockwisedirection from the position of FIG. 17 until the first positionmaintaining tooth 76 c catches one of the shift positioning teeth 60 cof the positioning ratchet 60. The positioning ratchet 60 is biased in aclockwise direction due to the urging force of the wire takeup biasingmember 54 (shown in FIG. 7).

Now, referring to FIGS. 19-23, the releasing operation performed bymoving the secondary operating lever 58 in a clockwise (generallyupward) direction will now be briefly discussed. This clockwise(generally upward) movement of the secondary operating lever 58 causesthe release plate or member 84 to be rotated. In particular, since thesecondary operating lever 58 is mounted to the secondary release leverattachment flange 84 b of the release member 84, the generally upwardmovement of the secondary operating lever 58 causes the release member84 to be rotated against the urging force of the biasing member 100.

Referring first to FIG. 19, a simplified front side elevational view ofthe bicycle control device 12 is illustrated in which the main operatinglever 41, the secondary operating (release) lever 58 and the shiftposition control mechanism 56 are in their normal rest positions withthe inner wire 18 a of the rear shift cable 18 and the wire takeupmember 52 being in their fully retracted positions. Here, the firstposition maintaining tooth 76 c of the position maintaining pawl 76 isengaged with one of the shift positioning teeth 60 c of the positioningratchet 60.

Then referring to FIG. 20, the secondary operating lever 58 has beenmoved in a clockwise direction to move the release member 84 such thatthe position maintaining pawl 76 is moved by the first pawl drivingmember 91 to allow the positioning ratchet 60 to move slightly in aclockwise direction from the position of FIG. 19. Movement of thepositioning ratchet 60 is restricted because the first pawl drivingmember 91 has rotated the position maintaining pawl 76 such that thesecond position maintaining tooth 76 d catches one of the shiftpositioning teeth 60 c of the positioning ratchet 60.

Next, as seen in FIG. 21, when the secondary operating lever 58 has beenmoved further from the position shown in FIG. 20, the first pawl drivingmember 91 releases the position maintaining pawl 76 such that the firstposition maintaining tooth 76 c catches one of the shift positioningteeth 60 c of the positioning ratchet 60 due to the urging force of thepositioning pawl biasing member 80 (shown in FIG. 7). In other words,when the first pawl driving member 91 releases the position maintainingpawl 76 and the positioning ratchet 60 moves further in a clockwisedirection from the position of FIG. 20 until the first positionmaintaining tooth 76 c catches one of the shift positioning teeth 60 cof the positioning ratchet 60.

If the secondary operating lever 58 is released at this point, thesecondary operating lever 58 will rotate in a counterclockwise directionback to its normal rest position such that the positioning ratchet 60has only moved one shift position, i.e., see FIG. 16. However, if thesecondary operating lever 58 is not released from the position and ispushed further in a clockwise (generally upward) direction, then thebicycle control device 12 will perform two shifts in a singleprogressive movement of the release member 84 as seen by the movementsshown in FIGS. 22 and 23.

In particular, referring to FIG. 22, a simplified front side elevationalview of the bicycle control device 12 is illustrated in which thesecondary operating lever 58 has been moved further from the positionshown in FIG. 21 such that the second pawl driving member 92 rotates theposition maintaining pawl 76 in a clockwise direction to allow thepositioning ratchet 60 to move further in the clockwise direction fromthe position of FIG. 20 due to the urging force of the wire takeupbiasing member 54 (shown in FIG. 7). Movement of the positioning ratchet60 in the clockwise direction is restricted because the second pawldriving member 92 has rotated the position maintaining pawl 76 such thatthe second position maintaining tooth 76 d catches one of the shiftpositioning teeth 60 c of the positioning ratchet 60.

When the secondary operating lever 58 is released from the positionshown in FIG. 22, the secondary operating lever 58 and the releasemember 84 rotate together in the counterclockwise direction back to theposition shown in FIG. 23 due to the urging force of the biasing member100 (shown in FIG. 7). Thus, as seen in FIG. 23, the second pawl drivingmember 92 releases the position maintaining pawl 76 and the positioningratchet 60 moves further in a clockwise direction from the position ofFIG. 22 until the first position maintaining tooth 76 c catches one ofthe shift positioning teeth 60 c of the positioning ratchet 60. Thepositioning ratchet 60 is biased in a clockwise direction due to theurging force of the wire takeup biasing member 54 (shown in FIG. 7).

In understanding the scope of the present invention, the term“comprising” and its derivatives, as used herein, are intended to beopen ended terms that specify the presence of the stated features,elements, components, groups, integers, and/or steps, but do not excludethe presence of other unstated features, elements, components, groups,integers and/or steps. The foregoing also applies to words havingsimilar meanings such as the terms, “including”, “having” and theirderivatives. Also, the terms “member” or “element” when used in thesingular can have the dual meaning of a single part or a plurality ofparts. Finally, terms of degree such as “substantially”, “about” and“approximately” as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation ofthe modified term such that the end result is not significantly changed.These terms of degree should be construed as including a deviation of atleast ±5% of the modified term if this deviation would not negate themeaning of the word it modifies.

While only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate thepresent invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art fromthis disclosure that various changes and modifications can be madeherein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined inthe appended claims. Furthermore, the foregoing descriptions of theembodiments according to the present invention are provided forillustration only, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

1. A position control mechanism for a bicycle control device comprising:a positioning member configured and arranged to be biased in a firstrotational direction about a rotational axis; a position maintainingmember configured and arranged to selectively maintain the positioningmember in one of a plurality of predetermined shift positions; and aposition releasing mechanism including first and second driving membersthat are configured and arranged to selectively release the positionmaintaining member from engagement with the positioning member, thepositioning member being movable through at least two of the pluralityof predetermined shift positions in the first rotational direction inresponse to a progressive movement of the position releasing mechanism,the first driving member being located radially outward of the positionmaintaining member relative to the rotational axis of the positioningunit.
 2. The position control mechanism according to claim 1, whereinthe positioning member includes a plurality of ratchet teeth, and theposition maintaining member includes a movably positioning pawl that isarranged to engage the ratchet teeth of the positioning member.
 3. Theposition control mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising awire take up member coupled to the positioning member, and arranged topull and release a cable wire.
 4. The position control mechanismaccording to claim 1, wherein the position releasing mechanism furtherincludes a release member mounted to rotate about the rotational axis ofthe positioning member and the first and second driving members arecoupled to the release member.
 5. The position control mechanismaccording to claim 4, wherein the first driving member is movably fixedto the release member and the second driving member is non-movably fixedto the release member.
 6. The position control mechanism according toclaim 4, wherein the first driving member is movably fixed to therelease member to selectively release the position maintaining memberfrom engagement with the positioning member in response to movement ofthe release member, and the second driving member is non-movably fixedto the release member to selectively release the position maintainingmember from engagement with the positioning member in response furthermovement of the release member such that positioning member movesthrough two of the plurality of predetermined shift positions during asingle progressive movement of the release member.
 7. A position controlmechanism for a bicycle control device comprising: a positioning memberconfigured and arranged to be biased in a first rotational directionabout a rotational axis; a position maintaining member configured andarranged to selectively maintain the positioning member in one of aplurality of predetermined shift positions; and a position releasingmechanism configured and arranged to selectively release the positionmaintaining member from engagement with the positioning member, theposition releasing mechanism including a release member, a first drivingmember and a second driving member, the first driving member beingmovably fixed to the release member to selectively release the positionmaintaining member from engagement with the positioning member inresponse to movement of the release member and the second driving memberbeing non-movably fixed to the release member to selectively release theposition maintaining member from engagement with the positioning memberin response further movement of the release member such that positioningmember moves through two of the plurality of predetermined shiftpositions during a single progressive movement of the release member. 8.The position control mechanism according to claim 7, wherein thepositioning member includes a plurality of ratchet teeth, and theposition maintaining member includes a movably positioning pawl that isarranged to engage the ratchet teeth of the positioning member.
 9. Theposition control mechanism according to claim 8, further comprising awire take up member coupled to the positioning member, and arranged topull and release a cable wire.
 10. The position control mechanismaccording to claim 7, further comprising a wire take up member coupledto the positioning member, and arranged to pull and release a cablewire.
 11. The position control mechanism according to claim 7, whereinthe release member is mounted to rotate about the rotational axis of thepositioning member.
 12. A bicycle control device comprising: a wire takeup member arranged to rotate about a rotational axis to wind a shiftcable wire of shift cable; a positioning member coupled to the wire takeup member and arranged to be biased in a first rotational directionabout the rotational axis; a position maintaining member configured andarranged to selectively maintain the positioning member in one of aplurality of predetermined shift positions; and a user operatingmechanism configured and arranged to perform a shifting operation bypulling and release the shift cable wire, the user operating mechanismincluding a release member, a first driving member and a second drivingmember with the first and second driving members being configured andarranged to selectively release the position maintaining member fromengagement with the positioning member, the positioning member beingmovable through at least two of the plurality of predetermined shiftpositions in the first rotational direction in response to a progressivemovement of the position releasing mechanism, the first driving memberbeing located radially outward of the position maintaining memberrelative to the rotational axis of the positioning unit.
 13. The bicyclecontrol device according to claim 12, wherein the positioning memberincludes a plurality of ratchet teeth, and the position maintainingmember includes a movably positioning pawl that is arranged to engagethe ratchet teeth of the positioning member.
 14. The bicycle controldevice according to claim 12, wherein the release member is mounted torotate about the rotational axis of the positioning member.
 15. Thebicycle control device according to claim 12, further comprising anoperating member configured and arranged to perform a braking operationwhen moved along a braking path and a shifting operation when movedalong a shifting path.
 16. The bicycle control device according to claim15, wherein the release member and the operating member are mounted torotate about the rotational axis of the positioning member.
 17. Thebicycle control device according to claim 16, wherein the operatingmember is operatively couple to rotate the positioning member.
 18. Abicycle control device comprising: a wire take up member arranged torotate about a rotational axis to wind a shift cable wire of a shiftcable; a positioning member coupled to the wire take up member andarranged to be biased in a first rotational direction about therotational axis; a position maintaining member configured and arrangedto selectively maintain the positioning member in one of a plurality ofpredetermined shift positions; and a user operating mechanism configuredand arranged to perform a shifting operation by pulling and release theshift cable wire, the user operating mechanism including a releasemember, a first driving member and a second driving member with thefirst driving member being movably fixed to the release member toselectively release the position maintaining member from engagement withthe positioning member in response to movement of the release member andthe second driving member being non-movably fixed to the release memberto selectively release the position maintaining member from engagementwith the positioning member in response further movement of the releasemember such that positioning member moves through two of the pluralityof predetermined shift positions during a single progressive movement ofthe release member.
 19. The bicycle control device according to claim18, wherein the positioning member includes a plurality of ratchetteeth, and the position maintaining member includes a movablypositioning pawl that is arranged to engage the ratchet teeth of thepositioning member.
 20. The bicycle control device according to claim18, wherein the release member is mounted to rotate about the rotationalaxis of the positioning member.
 21. The bicycle control device accordingto claim 18, further comprising an operating member configured andarranged to perform a braking operation when moved along a braking pathand a shifting operation when moved along a shifting path.
 22. Thebicycle control device according to claim 21, wherein the release memberand the operating member are mounted to rotate about the rotational axisof the positioning member.
 23. The bicycle control device according toclaim 22, wherein the operating member is operatively couple to rotatethe positioning member.